Oak Park and River Forest police reports-Aug. 14-24

At a county jail in Jonesborough, Thursday, Oak Park police took into custody and charged the fourth suspect in the July 14 mid-day armed robbery in the 200 block of Clinton Avenue.

The suspect, Montreal L. Carr, 19, reportedly also used aliases Venture Robinson and Kendel William. Carr, of the 1200 block of Fairfield Avenue in Chicago, was charged with armed robbery with a firearm. Demarko Johnson-Molette, 21; Devontay Chambers, 22; and Joshua Murphy, 21, all of Chicago were charged earlier.

During the robbery, one of the men held an Oak Park man at gunpoint in his backyard as the others used his ATM card at 7 Eleven and Tasty Dog in Oak Park. Police Chief Rick Tanksley called the crime "brazen." Surveillance video helped identify the getaway vehicle, police said.

Carr also had an active arrest warrant for violating his Illinois prison parole.

Lake Street Chase Bank robbed

The Chase Bank at 1048 Lake St. in the Downtown Oak Park business district was robbed Aug. 19, confirmed Deputy Police Chief Tony Ambrose.

Few official details have been released about the robbery from Oak Park police, but on Tuesday around 1:45 p.m., the bank, located at the corner of Lake Street and North Marion Street, was surrounded by police cars.

A man reportedly gave a note to the teller, received cash and got away, fleeing along Lake Street.

The Chicago FBI released an image of the man, whom they describe as a light-skinned black male about 5-7 to 5-9, about 40-50 years old. He also wore a mustache, according to the FBI report.

The suspect is pictured in security camera footage wearing a red and black Chicago Bulls cap and a black and red jacket and carrying a backpack.

The FBI described the incident, which occurred at 1:38 p.m., as a "non-takeover bank robbery."

No weapon was shown and Ambrose said no one was hurt during the robbery. It is still uncertain how much money was taken. Ambrose said investigation of the robbery is the jurisdiction of the FBI.

Anyone with information about the robbery can contact the FBI at 312-421-6700. The FBI has announced there is a reward available for information leading to an arrest.

Burglary arrest

A male juvenile Maywood resident was stopped in the 400 block of South Desplaines Avenue in Forest Park while riding a bike with an Oak Park registration sticker and pulling a second bike alongside. A check of the registration of the bike showed it had been stolen from a garage in the 1000 block of Grove; a vehicle in the garage was ransacked in the same incident. The boy was charged with two counts of burglary, then released to his mother's custody.

Burglary

River Forest police were summoned to the 800 block of Clinton for an auto burglary, Aug. 14 at 3:12 a.m. A suspect was stopped nearby; he was found with a wallet, an iPod, a Nintendo game and cash missing from the vehicle. Earl L. Toomer, 20, of Chicago, was charged with burglary.

Aug. 16-18, in the 500 block of South East Avenue, an open side door allowed a burglar into a garage, from which he or she stole two bicycles.

On Aug. 18 between 10:50 and 11:15 p.m., in the 200 block of Lemoyne, a witness saw a group of unknown youths enter an unlocked purple Dodge. When the witness shined a flashlight on the burglars and shouted at them, they ran off, crossing North Avenue. All they got was an iPhone charger and a pack of gum.

In the 600 block of North Harvey, a residence was burglarized between 7:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Aug. 19, possibly because of a back door left unlocked. Stolen were $7,900 worth of electronics.

A wallet containing cash and identification, left inside a bag on the front passenger floor of a Chevy parked in the 400 block of Madison, was stolen from within the vehicle between 9 and 9:15 p.m., Aug. 20.

Someone got inside a Kia in the 1000 block of South Oak Park Avenue, overnight Aug. 20-21, ransacked it and stuck a screwdriver in the ignition.

Theft

At Jewel in the 7500 block of Lake Street, River Forest, the afternoon of Aug. 16, police answering a call about a theft in progress found the suspect outside the store; he had reportedly dropped the merchandise — $275 worth of liquor and paper towels — inside the store. Daniel J. Ring, 51, of Chicago, stated to police that he had intended to steal the items. He was charged with attempted retail theft.

Aug. 18 at 4 p.m., an officer came to the 1500 block of Franklin, River Forest, where a woman reported the theft of a $6,000 Canon EOS camera system. The victim said that, the previous day, a film crew had been in her house and that she suspected them. The film crew denied seeing the camera during their visit.

At Longfellow Center, in the 600 block of South Ridgeland Avenue, a male victim reported the theft of his iPhone. He had left it inside the backpack but connected to the charger, which was visible because it was plugged into the wall. The theft occurred between 4:45 and 5:45 p.m.

In the 100 block of Forest Avenue, Aug. 16, another backpack was raided, this one yielding sunglasses, keys, a blanket, a change purse and some identification.

They want candy

Four males, 15-16 years old, entered CVS Pharmacy in the 300 block of Madison Street, Aug. 21 around 4 p.m. The boys hid roughly 30 candy bars in a red backpack. Before they could leave, an employee challenged them, but the boys ran away eastbound through the Madison alley without paying for the $85 worth of sweets.

DUI, controlled substance

A vehicle stopped at Lake Street and Harlem Avenue for several traffic violations at 3:39 a.m., Aug. 17, emitted the odor of burnt cannabis. Driver Esmeralda Lopez, 33, of Berwyn, failed field sobriety tests and blew .116 on the Breathalyzer, making her blood alcohol level well above the legal standard of .08. Five suspected pills and some marijuana were also recovered by police. Lopez was charged with DUI, possession of a controlled substance, and traffic violations.

Spitting contest, resisting arrest

During a disturbance at 3:40 a.m. in the 7200 block of Oak St., River Forest, on Aug. 16, police saw a man try to hit another person in a parking lot. The suspect reportedly struck at officers when they intervened. John P. Roeser, 24, of River Forest, was charged with misdemeanor battery and resisting arrest.

In the 1100 block of Thomas, Aug. 21 between 11:30 a.m. and 3 p.m., someone entered a residence and stole jewelry from the bedroom, as well as a car key from the kitchen. The key was then used to steal the corresponding car from the building's underground garage.

On Aug. 19 between 10:50 and 11 p.m. in the 1100 block of South Boulevard, a short middle-aged man got into an argument with someone; the conversation deteriorated until both offender and victim spit on each other. The offender then smacked the victim with a garbage-can lid and fled the scene.

Criminal damage

During the night of Aug. 18-19, someone broke a window at Irving School in the 1100 block of South Cuyler, either by kicking it or throwing a ball at it. Damage was estimated at $1,000.

At the CTA station in the 700 block of South Austin on Aug. 17 at 4:50 p.m, two male teens were seen to damage the Ventra card reader beyond repair. The boys ripped part of the machine off.

These items, obtained from the Oak Park and River Forest police departments, came from reports filed Aug. 14-24 and represent a portion of the incidents to which police responded. Anyone named in these reports has only been charged with a crime and cases have not yet been adjudicated. We report the race of a suspect only when a serious crime has been committed, the suspect is still at large, and police have provided us with a detailed physical description of the suspect as they seek the public's help in making an arrest.